Roger yanked her back toward the canyon wall and railing, wrapping an arm around her waist. She glanced up at him and had to smother a snicker. He eyed the drop, his face pale and wary. Upon seeing Jill’s amusement, he scowled.
“I’d prefer not to call search and rescue today,” he snapped.
“Isn’t search and rescue your job, you know, as a firefighter?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m off the clock.”
“So, if I fall, I’m on my own?” she asked sweetly.
He huffed. “Of course not, but it would be difficult to save you by myself.”
She raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Not Superman, then?”
“Hardly.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” she teased, winking at him.
He threw her a grin and pulled her closer to him, careful to keep her close to the wall and away from the edge. “I didn’t realize you had such a wild streak, Miss Martin.”
“Are you kidding?” Jill laughed. “I’m a female wilderness expert. Adrenaline is my bread and butter.”
Roger chuckled and led the rest of the way up the narrow path to the next summit. Red stone arches glistened in the sunlight, and Jill stepped under one, tossing her camera at Roger. He obliged her and took a few quick photos.
They took their time hiking through the canyon, stopping to take pictures at every beautiful summit. Their easy conversation continued until Roger knew Jill’s whole life story. He reciprocated with his own stories and adventures. They stopped around lunchtime at a particularly high summit. Looking over the edge, Jill could see a teal river far below them. She backed away from the edge with a smirk at Roger’s worried look. She only planned on torturing him a little.
“I thought we would stop here and eat before moving on,” Roger said tightly.
“Sure,” Jill agreed.
She was in her element in the open mountain air. Most of her hiking and wilderness training had been in the Appalachian Mountains, with a few excursions to the Adirondacks in New York. Utah’s mountains and canyons were a different adventure. Not better or worse, just different. Nothing could ever take the special place in her heart for those blue mountains back East, but she had enough room in her heart to let in these majestic ones from the West.
Taking in their surroundings, Jill eyed the path ahead of them. It got significantly steeper, the chain railing bolted into the path as far as she could see. She could also see a few places where she would have to use the chain to hoist herself to the next part of the path. It wasn’t considered rock climbing because they wouldn’t be climbing parallel to the ground, but they would definitely be doing some rock scrambling. There were a few hikes in the Appalachian and Shenandoah mountains that required the same concept.
One of her favorite hikes, Old Rag Mountain in Virginia, had had a couple miles of rock scrambling at the end, although nobody had bolted in chains for that hike. A few previous hikers had left ropes tied to help hoist those who lacked upper body strength, but she hadn’t been about to trust a rope that had been sitting in the elements for who knew how long. The rope could have snapped, and then she would have really been in trouble.
She had a lot more faith in chains bolted into the mountain. The lack of control still bothered her, but less than the suspect rope scenario.
She and Roger ate a quick lunch, packing everything back into their bags when they had finished. Jill was pleased to find Roger as environmentally conscious as she was (although it didn’t surprise her much). After all, he was a firefighter. Out here, that meant taking care of the land as well as community buildings. She knew living in Utah guaranteed dealing with wildfires every year, although most of those were prescribed fires, controlled fires intentionally set to burn away foliage that would act as kindling during an unintentional wildfire. Lightning and irresponsible people caused countless wildfires every year, especially in the summer months.
Jill suspected Roger had put out his share of wildfires, and that the devastation he witnessed was hard to wipe from his memory. Like the scientists who witnessed oil spills and other natural and manmade disasters, respecting the environment became second nature. Jill could tell by his simple and efficient treatment of their surroundings that Roger was someone who really cared.
She had just opened her mouth to ask him about his environmentally friendly attitude when she noticed him stop short. Jill followed his gaze up the incline and, remembering his behavior from earlier, a sudden realization struck her.
“Are you afraid of heights?”
His gaze shot to hers, startled. He stared at her a moment and then nodded slightly. “A little. I’ve gotten better over the years, but something like this,” he gestured to the steep path, “makes me a little nervous.”
“Then why did you offer to take me up this way?” she asked, bewildered. “You had to know how steep this hike was.”
He grinned sheepishly. “I knew you would like it, and I was trying to impress you.”
“Well,” she said, smiling, “consider me impressed.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Any guy willing to face his fears just to show me a good time gets points in my book,” she replied, squeezing his hand.
He smiled and squeezed back. “I’m glad you think so,” he murmured, stepping closer. She gazed into his eyes, her heart beating faster, but the screech of a hawk snapped them out of their suddenly heated exchange.
“Um… after you?” Jill squeaked.
Roger gave her a wicked grin, turned, and started up the path in front of her. Jill followed him, admiring the view. The mountain scenery around them was pretty awesome, too.
The View From Above
Roger suspected Jill was checking out his ass. He wasn’t complaining, but he thought it only fair he got the same opportunity at some point.
He made it up the steep incline by pulling himself up with the chain railings and helped Jill up behind him. The path narrowed as they progressed, and Roger wasn’t sold on its stability. In fact, the whole area made him nervous. He knew from the few times he had come here with Luke that he and Jill would have to pass over a section of the path barely wide enough to fit both his own feet. He remembered having to literally put one foot in front of the other to pass safely last time, and, in his opinion, it was the worst part of the whole hike. They would have to walk narrow pathways for the next couple hours, but it would all be worth it to get her on the ski lift at sunset.
At the next summit, Roger stepped up and turned around to reach out a hand to Jill. She gazed upon the surrounding canyon with an awestruck expression on her face. Roger knew, without a doubt, he had made the right decision in choosing this hike, and the look on Jill’s face was worth all his uneasiness.
He snapped a few pictures of her, indulging her as she posed in front of the breathtaking scenery. Although he didn’t like pictures himself, Luke loved photography, so Roger had learned enough to take decent impromptu photos.
After the last photo, Roger gestured for Jill to go first. He caught a slight blush flicker across her cheeks, and he had a pretty good idea of where her mind had gone. He had to stop himself from snickering. Fair was fair. She had gotten to admire his backside the whole way up, and it was his turn. And what a beautiful backside she possessed. The sight almost made him forget the heart-stopping height of the canyon path—almost.
Halfway up the path, Jill’s foot slipped on some loose rocks and she skidded down into him. Heart lurching, he grasped her hips and steadied her. It took a few moments for his heart to slow down enough for him to breathe again. Jill remained perfectly still, her chest heaving in panic.
No, wait. Not panic, he thought as she leaned back into him.
His heart picked up for a completely different reason as he slid his hands from her hips and circled her waist with his strong arms, pulling her flush against him. Any thought of heights had flown from his mind at the sweet smell of her hair tickling his nose.
“You okay?” he whispered in her ear, h
is voice husky.
Jill nodded, trailing her fingers over his forearms. She turned her head so that her dark eyes bored into his turquoise ones. Heat and desire flared between them, and Roger swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. Giving her one last squeeze, he released her gently. Now was not the time to do any of the things he wanted to do to her. Not on a cliff thousands of miles above ground and barely wide enough to hold one person. It was just too dangerous. Besides, Roger had a romantic plan sure to win her heart in addition to her body. He didn’t want Jill’s body if he couldn’t have her heart, too.
“Thank you,” she croaked, giving him a slight smile and sucking in a deep breath. She started back up the path.
He waited a few more moments for all the blood to go rushing back to the proper places and then followed her. To his relief, Jill didn’t seem offended by his holding her or by his sudden release of her, and she quickly lost herself once again in excitement. Her delight at her surroundings was infectious, and Roger found himself enjoying the hike more than he ever had before.
The hours passed easily in conversation and laughter. The path gradually widened, and they walked side by side once the path allowed. At the end of the path, Roger led Jill to the ski lift, which operated year round and would take them all the way back down the canyon. Like he had told Jill earlier, it would spit them out a few miles from the field where he had parked his truck. Luke had agreed to meet them at the bottom of the lift and take them back to the truck. Roger just hoped he hadn’t forgotten—or gotten distracted by someone in a skirt.
Roger waited with Jill for their turn on the lifts. There weren’t many people ahead of them. The lifts were open year round to take people up high without them having to do the actual work of the hike, and couples often used it as a romantic date. Sunset was usually the busiest time, but there weren’t a lot of tourists in town or the park right now since they were between the winter and summer seasons. Soon, it was their turn, and they got into the correct position for the chair to scoop them off the ground. Roger pulled the safety bar down over their heads and nodded to the attendant.
The descent was slow and would take at least fifteen minutes. Jill drank in the sights greedily. The sun set over the distant snow-capped mountains, streaking the sky with orange, pink, blue, and purple. There was more cloud cover now than when they had started the day, adding to the artistry of the sunset. The whole scene looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. It was exactly what Roger had hoped for.
He couldn’t have planned it better. Reaching behind them, he wrapped his arm around Jill’s shoulders and pulled her closer, encouraged when she didn’t resist the maneuver. She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing at the beauty of the mountains.
“Go on a date with me,” he whispered in her ear, his heart pounding in his ears. He waited tensely for her answer.
She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “This wasn’t a date, then?”
He shook his head. “Not technically, I guess.”
“Well, then I’d love to go on a technical date with you.”
He returned Jill’s grin with one of his own, reaching over to brush her hair back from her face. He let his fingers linger on her jaw, trailing his thumb over her bottom lip. She closed her eyes at the sensation, and he leaned down and brushed his lips gently over hers. It was a sweet, chaste kiss that held the promise of so much more.
Roger rested his forehead against hers, glancing at their progress. They would be at the bottom within minutes, and jumping off could be tricky without the proper focus. He gave Jill a small smile, entwining their fingers.
They jumped off the lift hand-in-hand. Roger pulled Jill toward the parking lot, eager to get back to the truck and have a few moments alone with her.
Roger held her hand all the way to the parking lot. He led her over to an SUV clearly set up for off-roading adventures. Luke leaned against the hood, a bored look on his face.
“Hey, Luke,” Roger greeted him warmly. “Thanks for meeting us. You been waiting long?”
“Not too long,” Luke answered. “Where’s your truck?”
Roger told him before helping Jill into the passenger seat of the SUV. He then hopped into the back, and Luke pulled out of the little parking lot.
“How was the hike?” Luke asked, glancing at Jill. She squirmed in her seat.
“It was fun,” Roger answered. “Jill was a bit of a daredevil.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Jill scowled at Roger. “Roger’s just afraid of heights and I’m not.”
“I didn’t want her to fall down the mountain with no way for me to rescue her,” Roger explained.
Luke chuckled. “Well, Roger, you’ve always been an overly cautious guy. Especially up there on the mountain.”
Jill raised an eyebrow, but Luke hadn’t made the comment sound like a dig. He sounded almost affectionate when he said it. “How long have you two been friends?” she asked.
“All our lives,” Roger answered, thumping Luke on the shoulder.
Luke grinned. “Our mothers met when we were little and forced us on each other.”
“Sounds nice,” Jill said. It explained why they acted more like brothers than mere coworkers or friends. They were close, and it was easy to see that there was real love between them, even as different as they seemed to be.
“Here we are,” Luke announced, pulling up next to Roger’s truck.
“Let me get it started, Jill,” Roger said, opening his door. “It’s gotten pretty cold out. Wait here for a sec.”
Jill rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. When Roger closed the door and rushed over to his truck, Luke chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Jill asked, frowning.
“Roger likes to take care of women,” Luke answered.
“I’m guessing from your obvious derision, you don’t?” Jill snapped.
Luke snorted and turned his magnetic gaze toward her, those vibrant green eyes nailing her in place. “Trust me, Jill. I always take care of my women. Just not in the same way.”
Jill raised an eyebrow even as a shiver raced down her spine and sudden desire pooled between her legs.
“I’m just better at figuring out what they need,” Luke said with a smug smile.
“Oh, is that so?” Jill scoffed, frowning. She had to get ahold of herself. This man wasn’t charming; he was insufferable.
“For instance,” Luke continued, smirking. “If we were on a date, I wouldn’t mind so much if you got cold.”
“How gallant of you,” Jill quipped, rolling her eyes.
“Well, if you got cold,” he murmured, “it would be my job to warm you up, and I’m very good at that particular job.”
Jill snorted, ignoring the fluttering of her pulse. “Too bad I am neither cold nor on a date with you, then.”
Luke chuckled. “Yeah, too bad,” he repeated.
She was pretty sure he was only giving her a hard time, but his words lingered in her mind, conjuring images of all the ways he might keep her warm…
Her door swung open and Roger helped her out of the SUV, gripping her hand as she jumped down.
“Have a good night,” Luke called, his voice innocent.
Jill frowned, knowing Luke was far from innocent, but said nothing.
“Night,” Roger replied, shutting the door.
He walked Jill over to the passenger side of his truck and helped her step up. The warm interior felt nice after the cool night air, but Jill still shivered as she thought of Luke’s words.
“You okay?” Roger asked, settling himself in the driver’s seat.
Jill nodded, giving him a small smile.
“Luke likes to tease people,” Roger said, more intuitive than Jill would have thought him to be. “Don’t take anything he says seriously. He gets worse when he’s bored. He practically lived in detention growing up because he brought out the teasing and practical jokes whenever school got dull for him, which was often.”
Jill laugh
ed, feeling a little better. Roger pulled out of the field and turned toward the inn. Jill figured he was probably right. Luke had been waiting for them for who knew how long, and it couldn’t have been a very exciting wait. He had only been goading her as entertainment. At least, she was 90% sure it had been for sheer entertainment. A small part of her suspected he might have been serious.
“I’d have offered to feed you, but Rose said something about dinner before we left,” Roger mentioned, breaking the silence.
Jill shook herself mentally and focused on the gorgeous guy sitting next to her instead of the insufferable—albeit also gorgeous—guy she had just left.
“She loves to cook,” Jill responded, nodding. “I can’t imagine anything in town will taste as good as whatever she is making.”
Roger chuckled. “You’re probably right. She should start serving food in her bar.”
“Bar?” Jill asked.
Roger looked at her, surprised. “There’s an old speakeasy in the cellar she turned into a bar. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed. It’s really popular.”
Jill mulled that one over. “I’ve gone to bed early the last few nights, so I haven’t noticed. And I imagine a speakeasy in an inn would have to be pretty soundproof.”
“It is,” Roger agreed. “The entrance is in the front room behind a large bookcase. If you come in through the back, you wouldn’t notice.”
“It sounds interesting,” Jill murmured.
Roger nodded. “When you walk through the bookcase, you go down a lot of stairs into a basement-cellar that runs the length of the house. It’s basically underground, which I think helps with the sound. Rose also has a sizeable amount of insulation between the two floors, making things even more soundproof. I’m sure you’ve noticed how the front of the house is closed off from the back of the house. It helps create the illusion of separation between the inn and the bar. It’s pretty ingenious.”
Destiny: AN MFM Romance Page 5